My last Anyone for Anyone Guest DT Card

Today I am bringing you my last card at Guest DT at Anyone for Anya :-( I have enjoyed being part of this blog because it is one of my favorites. As I mentioned previously Dawny is handing the blog over soon so it would be great if everyone could go along and join in her last couple of challenges.

Anyhow this week the challenge was Hot Hot Hot, now I can tell you this was very hard for me to get in the mood for as it is cold cold cold here! It was pouring with rain and very dark and gloomy when I was making this card and as such I struggled. I also struggled as using bright colours is not something I do a lot of . I finished my card feeling very disappointed with my efforts, but also knowing I just did not have the time to make another knew that it would have to do, but my hubby and beautiful daughter assured me it was good and that I should not feel ashamed! Sometimes I think we are our toughest critics. Without further ado I will now show you my card:

 

 

Please excuse the photo but it was the best I could get with the lighting I had.

I have used Surfing Ian from TGF which I coloured with my copics, Stampin Up cardstock together with patterned paper from Paper Inklings - H20 ooh. I have given the card some distressed edges then added some hand stitching and doodling, kaisercraft pearls and string.

Anyhow I better be off now I am going to start my first DT Card for the Lil Lolita Boutique challenges, which start this Thursday. Be sure to pop over and enter in the blog candy which ends on Wednesday and of course be sure to come by on Thursday and check out the cards, I am sure you will not be disappointed!

Until next time xoxo

Anyone for Anya challenge

Hello again, I hope this post finds you all well. We have enjoyed a lovely wintery day here by rugging up and going to the market and then spending a very lazy afternoon inside. I have to say as much as the warmer weather is nice I do enjoy these days when you can sit back a bit and not feel guilty as it is too wet to be outside.

Today is Anyone for Anya Challenge day and it is my third week as Guest DT. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges. This week is a sketch from our very own Dawny, and once again she has provided a good one.

As it was cold when I made this card I went for darker colours. The papers I have used are from the Queen Bee collection by Pink Paislee, Kraft, Black and White cardstock from Stampin Up. I have coloured my image using my watercolour pencils and also a bit of paper toling, then I cut her out and put her on a slightly inked paper doilie. I have some hand stitching, kaisercraft pearls and black sprays  which I picked up from spotlight last year. To keep with the lace effect of the paper doilie I have used my lace punch from Fiskars.

So there you have it my third card only one more week to go :(

I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend, I am off to go snuggle up on the couch with my hubby.

Until next time xoxo

Double Up

Hi again. I know 2 posts in one day but really I made this card the other day for my GDT  at Anyone for Anya, so does it count?

You will notice by the heading that this weeks challenge requires you to use 2 images on your card. Luckily for me I have my CC Design Sugar Plum spring kit which gives me lots of images to play with. I decided to use the boy and girl as I wanted to use my bench that I brought at the same time as the spring kit but not actually inked up yet. 

Once I got started though boy did I struggle. I was trying to use a sketch for the layout but after trying everything to make it work I scrapped the sketch and the papers and started again.

I am happy with how the card came out and the layout ended up being none other than my own, LOL! As the papers are quite bright I thought I would keep all the girly embellishments off this card and try to make it a card that you would give your hubby/partner.

 I have also used my copics (for colouring) inks for background, Hot Punch PP from October Afternoon, Study Hall PP from Cosmo Cricket, kaisercraft pearls, sentiment from Kraftin Kimmie, faux stitching and doodling. Ended up being very basic indeed.

Lots of great sketches I am itching to get stuck into this week so hopefully I will be back in a day or two with some more for you.

Until next time xoxo

Yey I am Guest Designing over at Anyone for Anya

Wow Mr Random Thingy must like me at the moment as it picked me to be a Guest Designer over at Anyone for Anya, yey!! I love this challenge blog and it made it easier for me finishing my stint up at Papertake Weekly knowing I had this to come to for the next 4 weeks. I look forward to joining in with the AFA DT for the month.

We have had a busy weekend here in The Beekman household with Saturday morning sports and sleepovers. My wonderful sister Sarah decided that she wanted the kids for a sleepover so we packed them off yesterday afternoon and then enjoyed some much needed us time. We were however a bit lazy and just went out for dinner then came home and watched a movie.

This morning we headed off to pick the kids up and then headed over to the footy oval where hubby played his fortnightly match. I love the atmosphere of the local footy and the kids get a real kick out of seeing Daddy play.

So this week over at AFA the challenge is “Don’t be Square” and I have to say this was a challenge for me as I have fallen into the trap of making all my cards square. I knew though it was the prefect opportunity to make my first circle card and was a bit shocked on how small they are. However having said that it takes away a lot of the anguish you have about laying out your card and embellishments as you don’t have much room to work with and as a result they end up being a quick and easy card to make. Well I suppose I better stop blubbering and show you my card:

 

As I said nice and simple. I have used Miss Anya from the dressy collection, copics markers for colouring, black and white cardstock, patterned paper is Creative Imaginations-Flourish Poppy, ribbon and lace had laying in my stash and the hair pin with glass beads I got from Quixotic. I finished off the card with some doodling using my white and black pens.

Be sure to pop over to AFA and have a peek at the other DT’s fantastic work.

Better dash we are now off to my mum and dads for dinner.

Until next time xoxo

My baby's turning 8!

As I mentioned in my last post it is my baby girls 8^th Birthday tomorrow. I still see her as my baby so often when I look at her these days and see such a confident bubbly girl I shake my head in amazement and wonder how did we get here. Lizzie darling I know that you want read this, or who knows maybe you will, but I am so proud of you sweetheart with all that you have already managed to achieve in your short life, I look forward to watching you continue to grow. Happy Birthday for tomorrow princess xo

Sorry for my rambling then but I just wanted to share with you all how proud I am of my baby! Goes without saying that the card I am brining you today is for my special girl. I was looking through the challenges trying to get some inspiration when I came across this weeks challenge at Stamp Something, a sketch.

 

I then popped over to Anyone for Anya (lots of layers) and saw Stacey’s card with lots of bright colours. Straight away I was inspired and went off for a search in my papers for the brightest, girly colours I could find! This is what I came up with:

  

I love the Heidi among flowers stamp and think it matches this card well. The papers are pink (not quite as dark as in photo) background from My Little Shoebox-Little ladies-Jana, Blue strip Basic Grey and the green is also from My Little Shoebox, Imagine a forest-get the camera and the chocolate chip from Stampin Up. I have also used my copics for colouring, Apron Strings Fiskars punch, kaisercraft rhinestones, spellbinders Nestabilities, kaisercraft ribbon and love heart pin from Quixotic.

I have lots of cards I need to make this week so hopefully I will be back later today with another card to show you.

Until next time xoxo

A mixture of challenges

If you are from Melbourne I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather we have been having. I really thought last week that the start of winter had settled in but obviously it was just a small taster of what’s to come.

Lizzie has a choir performance later this morning so just a quick post for today.

I was picked as a Top 3 over at Anya Ink’s last challenge, which was hugely exciting for me, and as such I eagerly wanted to participate again this week (not that I ever really needed motivating to join these challenges). The current challenge over at Anya Ink is Pink & Sparkly, just my sort of thing! I had heaps of fun making this card trying to add as much bling as possible without it being too over bearing. I have also used the current challenge over at Sketch & Stash for the layout:

 

 

Here is a closer look at the image where you can hopefully see the sparkle a bit better.

I have also used sparkle by adding a few rhinestones on the card and on the ribbon I have added a sparkly Prima Dynasty flower centre, which I picked up from Quixotic Paperie a few months ago but had not managed to use

I have also used my copics for colouring, buttons I had laying around, DS Paper and cardstock from Stampin Up, Image from The Greeting Farm, metal to tie the buttons down, faux stitching, spellbinders and miscellaneous ribbons/lace.

I am also entering this card into this week’s Anyone for Anya challenge, Sweet as Sugar, which leaves a large scope for interpretation and this weeks Quixotic Challenge, heavy metal, following Elaine’s example and only using minimal metal!

Well I better be getting myself ready.

Until next time xoxo

Papertake Weekly

Robbie finally had his 6^th birthday on Tuesday and he was so excited that at 5am he was waiting for his presents! It took me back to being a little girl and remembering how long that week before your birthday is and then that sleep before is the worst constantly waking up hoping that you can see the sunlight start to come through the curtains only to be disappointed and having to try and get back to sleep. Finally when the day arrives it goes by in a flash and then the countdown begins for the next one. He had such a good day and we had a good dinner with my family. He resisted sleep as much as he could but he finally flaked it around 8:30 in the lounge room on the floor (head resting on a pillow which was on top of his new skateboard).

Today after being shopping with Robbie (birthday money to spend) and picking up Elizabeth when we came home I decided it was time to sit back and make a card. It was such a hard decision on which sketch to follow, being there are so many great ones out this week, but I finally decided on the Papertake Weekly Sketch.

 

I have had this designer paper sitting in my stash for ages and have pulled it out so many times to make a card but have never been able to make it work so have put it back. Today though I managed to use it and am happy with the result. You will have to excuse the bad lighting in the photo but we have had an overcast day up here but I knew that if I waited for a better day I might never get it posted in time as things have been busy here lately.

 

The image is a Miss Anya from The Greeting Farm, this is the first time she has been inked up and I think I got this set at least 6 months ago. Thought it was quite fitting though as we have been having rain up here today. Copics have been used for the colouring, faux stitching, lace, ribbon, hair pin, spacers and beads, greeting from Kraftin Kimmie Sentiments, and there is a bit of paper tolling on it too.

I am also entering this card into both Anya Ink and Anyone for Anya as they both call for “Anything Goes” this week.

Another clean card which is what I am enjoying at the moment. I am sure I will get back to wanting to use flowers etc again soon, at least I hope so as I have a draw full of them, LOL!

 I hope you all enjoy the rest of your week.

Until next time xoxo

Anyone for Anya Sketch Challenge.

We are nearly one week down on school holidays here in Melbourne and I am pleasantly surprised at how they are going. Normally the kids get bored and want to be entertained but they have been too busy this week with sleepovers, birthday parties and play dates to even think about being bored. I realized how tiered they were today when we were driving home from the city and they had fallen into deep sleeps ( you know the ones where the heads flop about!), so I decided that we needed an afternoon in, which of course meant that I got a chance to make a card.

There are so many great sketches around this week that I had a tough time trying to choose which one to do as I knew that I probably want get all of them done. I ended up going Anyone for Anya sketch simply because it has been ages since I have done one of their sketch challenges.

  

If you do not already know you can now use CC Design images on these challenges now. I decided however to use a Twinkle Tot  as I have not stamped one of these up for a while.

 

I would have finished this card a while ago, even perhaps had time to start on another card, but I got so caught up in the moment of listening to my music and colouring that I did not look at the colours in the papers I had coloured her with a pink jacket and hat on, which of course just clashed horribly! Anyhow I am happy with the end result of the card (for some reason my camera did not pick up the shading to well in it today so you will just have to trust me when I say that they are there!) and have been told by my lovely daughter that it looks like it comes from a shop, LOL!

I have used as I mentioned Twinkle Tot from The Greeting Farm, copics for colouring, Cosmo Cricket patterned paper and Stampin Up cardstock, lace, button and ribbon I had in my draw. I have also applied some faux stitching and kinder glitz to the red buds on the paper and a bit to the sash on her hat and lips.

My husband is about to have 4 days off which is a real treat. He is a chef and works most nights and days as a head chef in Hawthorn but this long weekend the kitchen is shut as they are renovating. The kids don’t get to see him much (just an hour or so in morning before they go off to school and on his days off) so to have 4 days of daddy time is a real treat. I must admit that I am looking forward to it myself!!

I doubt very much I will be back before Easter so I would like to wish you all a happy Easter and let’s hope that Easter Bunny visits you all!

Until next time xoxo

 

Dusting off Miss Anya.....

Hello again…..I hope you are all well and if in Melbourne enjoying the sunshine today, it is so nice to see after all the overcast weather we have had this week.

Thursdays have become a bit of an indulgence day for me as I have decided to dedicate this day to NO HOUSEWORK which means that if I am home I can play with my stamps and stash. Lucky for me I was home today so I could play. I started using this weeks Papertake Weekly sketch for my card but I was not happy with how it was turning out and was getting frustrated trying to make it work so I decided to ditch it. The colours are not my normal but I have to say I really like the way it al came together.

 

So I am entering this card into this week’s Anyone for Anya (mums the word) and Anya Ink (include embossing) challenges. I have not done a card using a Greeting Farm stamp for ages so I thought it was time I dusted them off.

So what have I used, well I used copics for colouring, Anya from Miss Dressy collection, sentiments from Kraftin Kimmie, Stampin Up DS Paper, embossing folders, kaisercraft rhinestones, lace and if you look carefully you will see the buttons on Anya’s dress are tiny gems which I had in my stash.

I hope you all like. I am going to dash now and see if I can get two cards made in one day.

Until next time xoxo

I am back!

So have you been wondering where I have been? I have been on a very enjoyable 2 week holiday with the family down at Lakes Entrance. We had a wonderful time at the beach and also exploring the nearby area. The caravan park we stayed in was fantastic. It had an organized activity for the kids each day (whether that be some crafts or games in the pool) and movies under the stars every 3^rd night and was only 5 minutes walk to the patrolled surf beach.

 

We had a very stressful lead up to Christmas this year with my nana being very sick and in hospital. She is now on the mend in a rehabilitation hospital and hopefully will be home in the next few weeks so our holiday was a great chance to unwind and enjoy being together.

 

I do have to say that now we are home I am glad to have my space back as we have being living in a tent! When I had my shower this evening I nearly cried!! I will bring you some photos over the next few days.

 

Well after two weeks away I keen to make a card so I headed over to Anya Ink and Anyone for Anya sites. This week over at Anya Ink we had to use black, white and one other colour. This week’s challenge for Anyone for Anya was Anything Goes, meaning could do whatever we liked, just the sort of challenge I like.   

 

Immediately when I saw Anya Ink’s challenge I knew that I wanted to use red as my third colour so off I went in search of some red patterned paper. I have now discovered that I do not have much meaning I have a great reason to head off to the scrapbooking shops!

 

After much deliberation this is what I finally came up with:

 

 

 

I am not too sure about this card must be a bit rusty after my break (at least that is the excuse I am using)! I have used stamp from The Greeting Farm, Stampin Up cardstock and DS Paper, copics for colouring and miscellaneous flowers and embellishments. 

 

I hope you have all had a fantastic Christmas and New Years with your family and loved ones and I look forward to spending more time with you over the coming year.

 

Until next time xoxo

3 in 1

Hi all again. I have been so busy with the kids Christmas concerts and picnics that my blog has been neglected this week. Having said that though, I have made a few cards this week, for Christmas and others occasions, so I will gradually bring them to you over the next few days.

Today I am bringing you my card for three challenges, Sketch Saturday challenge, Anyone for Anya and Quixotic challenge. 

 When I first saw this sketch I went eewk!!

 

I wanted to go out of my comfort zone (feel I have been too comfortable lately) so I gave it a try.

 

For the Quixotic challenge it was easy peasy just had to use lace and for Anyone for Anya had to use some glitter/bling. I wanted to put a lot of thought and care into this card as my Nana is in hospital again (she had a big stay a few months ago) and she may be in for a few weeks again so wanted something that could help keep her spirits up. The image is a perfect one for Nana as when we were little kids she used to dress us up as “French Tarts”! It reminds me of those days and makes me smile.  I loved the card that Emma Lockley did for sketch Saturday last week and really wanted to give the colours and papers a go. Even though I have used her colour ideas I think I have made the card my own. So anyhow enough blabbering here is my card, I hope you like it:

 

 

 

I have used, Stampin Up DS paper and cardstock, image from The Greeting Farm, dies from spellbinders, kaisercraft pearls, copic markers, flowers and lace from spotlight and kinder glitz on the flower.

 

Anyhow I better be off to get some nods before another crazy day tomorrow.

 

Until next time xoxo

Bright Christmas

Well I have managed to make another card in the space of 24 hours from finishing my last card. This for some reason seems to be difficult to achieve as we approach the silly season. It was however sketch week at Anyone for Anya and this weeks Anya Ink challenge is Christmas. As you know I love my sketch challenges and as need to get my butt moving with making Christmas cards these were good excuses to create.

 

I have gone out of my comfort zone for this card.

 

 

It is very bright for a Christmas card but I decided that I wanted to do something different for a change and challenge myself with the colours. I did enjoy making this card and am reasonably happy with the result.

 

The hat I got from Deb's store, she had it made up so that we could use our favorite stamps for Christmas cards too. I loved the idea of that. I have added glitter to the white parts of the hat and also to the presents but as always the camera does not show this. The patterned paper is from kaisercraft, cardstock Stampin up, certainly celery, real red and pink pirouette, ribbon from Stampin Up and bling from kaisercraft. I have coloured the image using my trusty copics, have I mentioned lately how much I love them!!!!

 

Well it is Kirsty’s birthday tomorrow so tonight we are off to celebrate.

I hope to be back soon with the goodie bags I am making for the kids teachers.

 

Until next time xoxo

Three in one...

Wow what a busy few days I have had. I cant believe it has been 4 days since my last post. My hubby has just finished up a job last Thursday and is on leave for a week, needless to say why I have had a lack of time to make cards! We have however enjoyed some much needed time as a family and look forward to tomorrow when we go away for a few days.

On Thursday night we all went to Michael’s new job, head chef at a gorgeous restaurant called Home Dining in Hawthorn, and had a beautiful dinner and a great chat with his new boss. The kids, who were worded up before we left, behaved very well and the night was good fun.

On Friday we just did some bits and pieces before Michael headed off for a one night induction at his new job and I went out to dinner with Kirsty and Dee. We had such a great time chatting away and enjoying each others company.

Yesterday we went to the park for picnic with the kids and our some of our extended family. The kids had a ball riding their bikes around, something they can not do at home, and just playing around. Last year we used to do this just about every weekend but when Michael started head cheffing at the Cuckoo he lost the weekends and as such picnics went to the wayside. His new job though gives him Sundays off with the family, just in time for picnic weather, and also Saturday mornings which means he will be able to watch the kids at their sports.

So today is a home day before we head off tomorrow and as such I have managed to get a card in. As I know I will be tight on time this week for playing along with challenges I have done three in one. I missed last weeks sketch challenge over at Anyone for Anya and as they only have it once a month I really wanted to do this one.

I have used the sketch together with their challenge for this week which is using the colours of your national flag or colours that represent your country. I have then met this weeks challenge over at Anya Ink by incorporating the technique Paper Tole.

 

 

 

 

So there you have it. The colours were difficult for me to use as they are very strong colours but I think I have managed to pull it off. As I live in the “garden state” I wanted to incorporate a flower.

 

You can see from the close ups that I have done a few layers for my “Paper Tole” the highest layer being half the skirt, the tee shirt and sunglasses. What great fun it was to pull all these challenges together in one card.

 

Down to the supplies the stamp is from the Rain Snow Shine Miss Anya collection which you can currently get on special from Die Cuts R Us, blue card stock was just some scrap I had laying around the rest is Real Red and Whisper White from Stampin Up, flowers and rhinestones from Kaisercraft, miscellaneous ribbon and copics for colouring. Techniques I have used include paper piercing, faux stitching, paper tole, scalloping.

I hope you all have a good few days and I will be hopefully back later this week with some more cards.

 

 

Until next time xoxo

Anyone for Anya

I have had a great day today. Robbie had a school session this morning, only for a hour, but I love seeing the enjoyment he gets from it. I also brought him some of his school uniform and he is so proud of it. He has put it to show everyone that has come to the house today. Following his school session this morning mum, Robbie and I went to see my Oma (Dutch for grandma). Although Oma does not know who I am anymore she does know that my face is familiar and after a while she will warm to me. It is however very hard seeing someone you love in this position but as long as you go to visit with no expectations then it is generally ok.

 

After I am came home I started on my card for this weeks Anyone for Anya challenge.  This week the requirement was to use paper piercing. As I have previously mentioned this is not a problem for me as I tend to have a slight addiction to pp but for some reason this week I kept putting this challenge off. The card started off as something completely different in my mind from how it turned out but I actually really like it. I am loving the basic grey at the moment. So without boring you any further here it is:

 

 

 

The cardstock and DS Paper is Stampin Up as per normal. The scalloping is done using my Stampin Up Scallop Punch. The stamp is a Miss Anya Stamp from The Greeting Farm. flowers and rhinestones from Kaisercraft. I have distressed the edges by running my scissors down the edge of the paper and colored my image in using my Copic Markers.

 

The exciting news I mentioned yesterday is that there is now a Gorjuss Challenge Blog. It launches it first challenge tonight so be sure to pop by and check it out.

 

If I am allowed out I will be out to Kirsty’s for a good natter with her and Dee and a little bit of stamping. If not I will be back with some more cards that I have made over the last couple of days.

 

Until next time xoxo

Anyone for Anya

Hello again. Nearly one more day down of school holidays in the crazy Beekman household. This morning I took the kids to see the movie G Force. I thought it was good and the kids seemed to like it. We then went to the scrapbooking store where the kids picked a little craft to do, Elizabeth picked some rhinestones and a glitter pen and has made Michael this award:

 

It brought a huge smile to his face. Sometimes it is the basics things in life that mean the most to us. Robbie picked some stickers and made a great incomplete picture using his name and stars.

 

Whilst I was there I stumbled across the new Kaisercraft Paper called Lilac Avenue Collection. I absolutely had to have this paper, regardless of not having a project in mind for it, as I loved the colours and patterns. So of course in today’s card I have used some of it.

 

The last week of each month over at Anyone for Anya they have a sketch challenge so I also used this for my card today.

The card was actually quick to make, which is great as I am off to see Michaels Grandma later today, with a pleasing result.

 

  

 

 

Supplies: SU Cardstock, Kaisercraaft DS Paper, Anya Stamp form The Greeting Farm, Sentiment stamp from, Stamping Bella, SU Ribbon, markers and SU Inkpads.

 

Anyhow I better dash. Hopefully I will be back later tonight with Caitlyn’s birthday card.

 

Till next time xoxo

Anyone for Anya

Hello I hope you have had a good day. We have had glorious weather here and I have been out and about enjoying it.

You will soon learn to know that I like doing sketch challenges, especially ones that give you a chance to win some goodies. Today I am posting my entry for the Anyone for Anya challenge. This week there was no sketch we just had to use Pink & White and at least one other colour, excluding skin tone, and of course a stamp from The Greeting Farm. As I often struggle coming up with a layout I look at sketch challenges for inspiration. For this challenge I based my layout on the Mojo Monday 103. Here is my card:



Supplies:Miss Anya Stamp, SU cardstock, Nestabilities, Impression Obession, Inc stamp, SU Watercolour Crayons.  

I am reasonably happy with how this card turned out. Look forward to the new challenge to be posted on Sunday. I will be back soon with pics of some cards I have made as a demonstration of some stamps that Deb will be releasing this weekend. Till next time xox

The Greeting Farm

Recently on one of my many blog surfs I came across the "Edward" stamp. Who would of have thought that I could fuel my twilight addiction through stamping!! .  Here is a pic of him.

 

He is cute isn’t he?

Once I got him I was insistent that I would be able to find a "Bella" stamp so off I went surfing the net again. Unfortunately I was unable to find a stamp that really represents Bella but I did however end back up at The Greeting Farm and came across the Anya range (I missed the first time in my haste to order Edward).  So another love affair begins with the Miss Anya stamps. I have ordered a set but as yet have only managed to finish one card with them. I love that these stamps really target the teenage/younger adults and that I can finally make some cards for my sisters that do not involve flowers!

Here is a card that I made for last weeks Anyone for Anya challenge. I am still not completely sure about the card, hence why I did not enter it, but I thought I would share it with you anyhow.

 

Supplies: Miss Anya from The Greeting Farm, Kaisercraft patterned paper, markers.

I hope to bring you some more cards using Miss Anya's soon. 

Till next time xox